Sunday, Punctuated with Red Pen

Having spent the better part of Sunday poring over innumerable essay drafts, I have a renewed appreciation for the following (and increasingly rare) aspects of the English language, as utilised by teenagers:

Well placed commas
Agreeable tenses
Vivid and lovely adjectives
Properly punctuated dialogue
Appropriate use of ellipses
Pretty paragraph breaks
Original metaphors
Semi-colons
Headings

If I were not a teacher, and if I did not harbour aspirations about travel writing, I could very easily and truly state that my ideal job would be editing other people's writing. However, as this is an integral aspect of being an English Literature teacher, that part of my personality is satisfied.

Although if anyone out there is working on a novel and has wads of cash to throw at an editor, I'd reconsider in a flash!

I should clarify that an equally good part of Sunday was spent listening to an edifying sermon on Mark 10 and then eating lunch with friends. That was pleasant - nearly as pleasant as ripping through thirty essays with a red pen.

The latter use of 'pleasant' was a little whimsical, by the way. I could have just as easily said 'heart-burning' or 'hair-raising' or 'brain-curdling'. But I went with 'pleasant'. Make of it what you will.